Abstract
Background
N-Pep-12 is a dietary supplement with neuroprotective and pro-cognitive effects, as shown in experimental models and clinical studies on patients after ischemic stroke. We tested the hypothesis that N-Pep-12 influences quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) parameters in patients with subacute to chronic supratentorial ischemic lesions.
Methods
We performed secondary data analysis on an exploratory clinical trial (ISRCTN10702895), assessing the efficacy and safety of 90 days of once-daily treatment with 90 mg N-Pep-12 on neurocognitive function and neurorecovery outcome in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment against a control group. All participants performed two 32-channel QEEG in resting and active states at baseline (30–120 days after stroke) and 90 days later. Power spectral density on the alpha, beta, theta, delta frequency bands, delta/alpha power ratio (DAR), and (delta+theta)/(alpha+beta) ratio (DTABR) were computed and compared across study groups using means comparison and descriptive methods. Secondarily, associations between QEEG parameters and available neuropsychological tests were explored.
Results
Our analysis showed a statistically significant main effect of EEG segments (p<0.001) in alpha, beta, delta, theta, DA, and DTAB power spectral density. An interaction effect between EEG segments and time was noticed in the alpha power. There was a significant difference in theta spectral power between patients with N-Pep-12 supplementation versus placebo at 0.05 alpha level (p=0.023), independent of time points.
Conclusion
A 90-day, 90 mg daily administration of N-Pep-12 had significant impact on some QEEG indicators in patients after supratentorial ischemic stroke, confirming possible enhancement of post-stroke neurorecovery. Further research is needed to consolidate our findings.
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The original N-PEP-12 study was approved on 10/12/2015 by the Ethics Committee of the Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy (8 Babeş Street, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; +40-264-597-256; contact@umfcluj.ro), ref: 507/10.12.2015. Amended twice refs: 82/24.03.2016;104/12.02.2018.
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The following are available online: Table 3. Spearman correlations coefficients (ρ) and p-values between spectral power measured on the alpha band in each of the 7 EEG segments; Table 4. Spearman correlations coefficients (ρ) and p-values between spectral power measured on the beta band in each of the 7 EEG segments; Table 5. Spearman correlations coefficients (ρ) and p-values between spectral power measured on the delta band in each of the 7 EEG segments; Table 6. Spearman correlations coefficients (ρ) and p-values between spectral power measured on the theta band in each of the 7 EEG segments; Table 7. Spearman correlations coefficients (ρ) and p-values between spectral power measured on the DA band in each of the 7 EEG segments; Table 8. Spearman correlations coefficients (ρ) and p-values between spectral power measured on the DTAB band in each of the 7 EEG segments. (DOCX 94 kb)
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Popa, L.L., Iancu, M., Livint, G. et al. N-Pep-12 supplementation after ischemic stroke positively impacts frequency domain QEEG. Neurol Sci 43, 1115–1125 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-021-05406-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-021-05406-9